


Every Time You Make a Poetic Declaration One of Us Gets Shot

by Ghrelt



Series: We Taught Ourselves to Love [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Fights, Frustration, Love, M/M, Poetry, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghrelt/pseuds/Ghrelt
Summary: Sometimes Joe's passion gets him into trouble...
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: We Taught Ourselves to Love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830847
Comments: 59
Kudos: 796





	Every Time You Make a Poetic Declaration One of Us Gets Shot

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back already, and I blame Drake. Somebody stop me so I can finish my other fic. If you like it, please feed me with comments.

He loves him.

He loves him like the thing beating in his chest is Joe.

Like his heart grew legs and started walking around and talking and being really good at killing people-

Wait. Maybe that metaphor is getting away on him a bit.

In any case, Joe. Yusuf. Is someone so vital to him, it defies words.

Joe’s the one who can find those perfect words.

Beautiful, impassioned prose that paints the impossible emotion in indelible ink on his lover’s soul.

So why. The _hell_. Can he only seem to say it like that when it means one or _both_ of them is about to get their asses kicked. Or worse. For it.

It’s not that he never says it otherwise. He does. And shows it. In many, _many_ ways. Diverse, innumerable, _imaginative_ ways.

But Nicky knows that passioned tone. That light in his love’s eyes. The flowery turn of phrase that is only ever sparked by searing, incandescent anger.

And every.

Single.

Time.

Ends with his Joe broken and bleeding at best. Dead, at worst.

Nicky’s passion for his love sparks… quieter. Less impressive. But no less impactful.

He’s killed entire rooms over one of those speeches. Because nobody touches his Yusuf.

Joe starts fights. Or he picks up the gauntlet of a fight thrown at him.

But Nicolo _finishes_ them.

He cuts down everyone that would seek to do them harm. Who would judge them with blade or fists or bullets for daring something so mundane as love.

As though they hadn’t already fought through the same just to reach each other. As though they didn’t have to face every dark thing inside themselves they’d been taught. Hatred. Fear. Disgust. Just to be together.

And learned perhaps their gods weren’t so different after all. That their own hearts were very much the same. And that beyond all else they’d learned. Had driven into them. Beaten into them. Was a truth so simple. So spectacular and unbelievable. That despite all they’d known, they were meant for a greater purpose.

And that whatever unknown purpose laid before them, they were meant to face it together.

Nicolo just wished those beautiful, heart-rending speeches didn’t always lead to a fight.

He loves the man, but sometimes his Joe is _exhausting._

**Author's Note:**

> Drake has made an incredible companion piece entitled [poetic declarations (and the bullets that follow)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25354564)  
> Go check it out!
> 
> And we have a [discord! ](https://discord.gg/kDJpjxx) Come join us!


End file.
